Boomerang
by Stariceling
Summary: Knuckles has always been bound to the Master Emerald, so he recognizes devotion when he sees it. Sonic X first season friendship fic.


Takes place shortly before episode 25. How did Eggman manage to trick Knuckles a second time? I think it was because he was already starting to suspect the same things.

* * *

Angel Island was home and always would be. It seemed no matter where he was, Knuckles was aware of the position of the Master Emerald. Leaving the island meant being on an invisible tether that would eventually draw him back. Even if he somehow forgot where and why, he would eventually find himself home again, back at his duty.

Ever since falling into this strange world, Knuckles had been disoriented. He couldn't return to his home, his duty, his very _life_. There was no specific direction that would take him back to the Master Emerald, but that did nothing to keep the need to return from tugging relentlessly at his mind.

Maybe that was why he seemed to be the only one to recognize the odd change in Sonic's behavior. It wasn't that he had anything approaching a close, personal relationship with his sometimes-ally, Knuckles decided to himself. Nothing like that. It was only that he knew what it felt like to be grounded. He recognized it.

And, in spite of his usual wandering nature, Sonic was undoubtably grounded. Usually straying no farther than a day's run (which might well be the other end of the continent, considering the speed he considered a casual pace) before returning. Somehow Knuckles had become more of a wanderer, searching anywhere for the Chaos Emeralds, while Sonic was returning to the same place each night in time for dinner.

Just a moment ago Knuckles had noted a blue blur that had to be Sonic shooting by, like a wayward boomerang looping back to its origin. Even though Knuckles was heading for the same place, he was aware of their difference in attitude. He was only visiting, after all. He had no problem leaving the place for weeks on end. He had no reason to think anyone was waiting hopefully for him to appear, the way they would be waiting for Sonic.

Or perhaps it was the other way around. When Knuckles came in sight of the Thorndyke mansion Sonic was basking on the garage roof, looking as if he had been there for five hours rather than five minutes. That wasn't odd in itself, but there was something about his timing. . . .

From where he was standing, Knuckles could plainly see a human boy running up the front drive, schoolbag bouncing on his shoulder. He raised one hand in a cheerful wave, almost too out of breath to make his call of, "Sonic, I'm home!" heard.

Sonic opened one eye lazily, grinning and raising his hand in return. "Yo," he greeted.

Chris stopped halfway between the garage and the front door, as if unsure whether to go inside or join Sonic. He took a few seconds to catch his breath before startling Knuckles by turning and waving to him, calling out his name in the same friendly voice he'd used to greet Sonic.

Knuckles had been standing by the line of trees that separated the house from the pool and tennis courts, arms crossed as he took stock of the scene in front of him. He was quite aware that he wasn't invisible, his red fur didn't exactly blend in, but he hadn't expected to be noticed. Especially not by the boy.

"Are you here for a visit?" Chris asked. He sounded cheerful about the idea, which made Knuckles bristle impulsively. As if he had time to waste on social calls.

"No. I'm only here to see if you've heard anything about the last Chaos Emerald."

Chris shook his head. His jubilant mood had evaporated, which was a little confusing. Knuckles didn't think he had snapped, exactly. And if he had the boy should know better than to take it personally by now.

"Then I'll be going." Really, he wasn't here to speculate on people's moods or behavior. He had a job to do.

"Don't you even want to stay for lunch or something?"

It was definitely too late for lunch. Knuckles didn't bother to answer. He actually didn't know where he was going next, so maybe it looked like he hesitated, standing there.

"I'll go see what we have," Chris offered, taking silence for agreement. He turned and ran back to the front door before Knuckles could protest.

"Don't bother." He suspected Chris didn't hear, but he didn't raise his voice to repeat himself.

Knuckles turned to leave, but the minute he did Sonic was right there in front of him, that cheerful smirk all over his face. If there was one thing he did that Knuckles hated most, that had to be it. The way Sonic would suddenly pop up _right there in his face_.

"What's your hurry?" (Knuckles found that irritatingly ironic, coming from _him_.) "You haven't even said 'hi' yet."

"Hello and goodbye."

Now he really was annoyed enough to leave. Knuckles tried to side-step, knowing that Sonic would be there before he could blink. Sure enough, his way was blocked twice in quick succession by that cheeky blue blur.

"It's such a beautiful day. You should be a little more friendly!"

Knuckles was about to tell Sonic that those two statements had nothing to do with each other, when he heard Chris calling inside the house, "I'm home! Ella, do we have any fruit?" The last word made his ears prick up instinctively. His stomach chose that moment to remind him audibly that he hadn't eaten yet, even though it was halfway through the afternoon.

Sonic started laughing, only to be brought up short when his stomach growled in response. Knuckles allowed himself a smug 'heh' of laughter. Even in that area, Sonic had to be competitive.

Chris returned with his hands full before Sonic could make another successful bid to get on

Knuckles's nerves. He was holding a plate with a pair of hotdog buns that were practically overflowing with chili in one hand, a full bunch of ripe bananas in the other.

"Sonic, Ella said you hadn't been home all day, so-"

That was as far as Chris got before the sudden blur that was Sonic snatched the plate out of his hand. He didn't stop there, ricocheting off of a nearby tree and back up onto the roof all in one motion. As if someone would actually try to steal his lunch. Knuckles scoffed at the idea.

Chris didn't seem the slightest bit startled by the sudden snatch. He just turned his full attention on Knuckles and asked politely, "Do you like bananas? I'm sorry we don't have anything else today. I thought you liked the fruit we had out last time."

"Fine."

Knuckles hadn't expected Chris to remember his tastes, especially considering he had only accepted a meal here once or twice, and was a bit taken aback. It would have been enough that he wasn't offering chili dogs and assuming that Knuckles would have the same tastes as Sonic. Just for this Knuckles would try to have a little more patience with Chris.

"Um, okay. Let's sit down then."

Chris led Knuckles back through the windbreak of trees to a soft stretch of manicured grass that sloped down to a concrete area surrounding a large pool. Knuckles let Chris sit beside him on the grass, break a banana off of the bunch, and offer it to him. He had to tear the peel open with his teeth before carefully pulling it off in strips and devouring the fruit inside.

When he'd finished off one banana in a few bites, Chris broke off another. This time he pulled at the stem to break the peel open before handing it over. It wasn't until then that Knuckles noticed the boy was curled in on himself, both knees drawn up to his chin. He looked decidedly miserable. Even Knuckles could see that.

It was enough to make him pause. Chris had at least been polite to him, never getting up in his face, or mistaking him for Sonic, or doing anything else that seriously annoyed him. There wasn't anything he really disliked about the kid. If he was short with Chris it was just that he was frustrated by the endless tugging need to get back to the Master Emerald.

"So I guess you didn't find the last one, either," Chris started.

Knuckles could have sighed in relief. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with a miserable child. This disappointment, at least, he understood.

"Not yet."

Chris was toying with his shoelaces, not looking at Knuckles. He somehow knew when to hand over a third banana, but it looked almost automatic. He was still distracted. Knuckles took the moment to watch him. He did wonder a little about this boy, and not just because he was one of the few humans that didn't inconvenience or annoy him at first glance.

Knuckles was aware of the fact that Sonic was watching them, even as he watched Chris for some hint of what he was supposed to do. He knew without looking that Sonic would appear not to have a care in the world. He would be wolfing down his chili dogs, or lounging half-asleep on the roof, but he was definitely keeping an eye on Chris.

Actually, Knuckles had been sure for some time now of what it was in this world that had grounded Sonic. It was the same for him. Angel Island might be his home, but it wasn't the place itself that called to him. It was the Master Emerald that drew him to it.

As, it seemed, Chris drew Sonic.

People were always chasing Sonic. As far as Knuckles had seen, he let himself be chased. He stopped for people, cared for them, kept pace with them if he was in the mood, but no one could really keep up with the pace he set for himself. Knuckles had never known him to run circles around someone like this before. If you wanted to be close to Sonic, you went _with_ him. You didn't wait for him to come to you.

Yet for this boy, the rules had changed. Sonic was caught on an invisible tether that kept him looping back to center, to Chris.

Knuckles wouldn't have cared about all that, but for the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He needed to activate Chaos Control. The need to get back to the Master Emerald was forever tugging at his mind, no matter that it was a world away. He knew how powerful that tether of devotion was. It was his entire life's experience.

And if Sonic was developing the same devotion to Chris. . . why should he want to return to their world? Why should he activate Chaos Control and let everyone go back where they belonged when the thing he was bound to was here in this world?

Something had to be done. Eggman's lie that Sonic didn't want to return to their world was coming true. Knuckles was sure of it this time.

At that moment, Chris looked up, apparently shaking himself out of his own thoughts as he offered Knuckles another banana. Knuckles hadn't even been aware of eating the one in his hand. It was another minute before Chris broke the silence with a soft-spoken concern.

"What if Dr. Eggman found it already? And what are we going to do even if one of us does find the last Chaos Emerald first? He still has one."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Knuckles grunted.

He was more relieved than he had wanted to let on. He'd been worried that Chris would want them to stay, but he could now reassure himself that Chris was more worried about trying to help everyone return home.

"Knuckles?" Chris was digging his toes into the grass, looking like a child waiting to be scolded. "You'll at least come to say goodbye, right? Before you all go home."

He really was a good kid, Knuckles decided, even if he was a little silly. "Of course. I have to anyway, if we're going to reunite all seven emeralds."

"Thanks," Chris murmured.

Knuckles stood and stretched, ready to renew his search for the final emerald.

"You can come back again any time!" Chris told him. He was trying to return to his cheerful self, but even Knuckles could tell he was a little strained, still.

If he glanced back once or twice on his way out across the grounds, it only had to do with the four Chaos Emeralds that were stored in that place. It had nothing to do with the boy picking up banana peels from the grass, or the blue hedgehog watching him. The place might not be home but now Knuckles knew he would be going back there a least once more, if only to fulfill his promise.


End file.
